a family of 3

i really like symmetry & order. i guess that's one reason why the perfect little "american dream" family seems so ideal to me. you know, mom, dad, 2 kids, house and yard. a family of 4. it's the perfect number for families- 2 pairs. an even number for rides at six flags, no one rides alone. perfect for booth seating at restaurants. fills up a car nicely, 2 in front 2 in back, no one sits alone. even teams for games. i've always wanted two kids one day, for all of the above mentioned reasons. it just seems so perfect.

we've found a new hobby as a family- tennis. none of us are exceptionally good at it, i'm the worst by far, but it's something we can all do together and we enjoy. as we were playing tonight after church, the thought crossed my mind "man, this sure would be better with a 4th player." and then it hit me- i'm no longer part of the ideal "american dream" family of 4. for the vast majority of my life, i've been part of that magical family of 4. i have few memories of the 3 years when we were a family of 3 before jess came along. but now, we are again a family a 3. someone has to ride in the back of the car alone, someone sits alone on half the booth, we can't form even teams, we can't even play a doubles tennis match. it's recently hit me that families don't always come in 4's, they don't always include a mom and a dad, they aren't always orderly. in fact, sometimes they can be downright messy! i know (and love) some wonderful only children, from families of 3. i know several families of 5. i know several families with only one parent.

my family of 3 has been a little messy at times over the past 8 months. but- i've come to realize that we are no less of a family because there are now three of us instead of 4. the number has changed, the dynamic has changed, but the fact that we are a family has not. its taken some time for me and everyone else to readjust to being a family of 3. it hasn't been easy, it hasn't always been fun, it's even been painful at times. but when it's all said and done, we love each other, we care for each other deeply, and i am still able to say that i have the best family i could ever ask for.